valves tapping after start up..........

hello everyone. ok heres my problem. i have a 2001 explorer sport with 4.0L SOHC engine and 91,357 miles on it. After the first time i changed the oil with the recommended 5w30 of mobile one syntheic and started it, the valves started to tap for about 10 to 20 seconds and the oil pressure gauge did not jump up and when it did the nosie stopped. the next morning and the same thing. i was told to try some seafoam in the crankcase and the noise stopped for a couple of weeks. well the tapping started again. so i changed the oil again and it does it alot more. it only taps for about 5 to 10 seconds and that depends on how long it has sat for. i dont have the money to take it to the shop and i dont wana damage the engine. the oil filter has a anti-siphon (fram tough guard). i was told at the autoparts store that it could be a clouged sump screen or the oil pump? on my old 5.0L u had to prime the pump before running the engine. does this engine have the same feature???

Honestly, I'd start by swapping the oil filter for a Purolator or Wix with the anti-backflow/anti-siphon valve. I've not been impressed with Fram filters.

-Rod

ok, but do u think i need to get thicker oil???

No, if anything the thicker oil would probably make the tapping worse. If the tapping is from the lifters, they are at the top of the engine. In order to get them lubricated, the oil needs to be pumped from the bottom of the engine. The thinner oil will be easier to pump. After sitting for any decent amount of time, even the thicker oil will flow back to the oil pan, it won't stay on the lifters.

You might have a lifter that is sticking and causing the tapping, and again a thicker oil would not help this. What might help this situation would be to substitute one quart of oil for a quart of transmission fluid. The transmission fluid may help to dissolve the varnish or sludge that is causing the sticking. After a couple hundred miles or so, after the tapping seems to be remedied, drain the oil again and replace the filter and oil with new.

If you are concerned that the screen on the pick up may be restricted, a mechanical oil pressure guage should help rule that out or let you know that you may want remedy the situation before it gets really expensive.

-Rod

tranny fluid sounds pretty good. on the mechcanical gauge where would hook that up to??

To hook up the mechanical guage, you would remove the oil sending unit or pressure sensor and screw the mechanical gauge in its place. Typically a stand-alone gauge will be more accurate than the guage on the instrument cluster.

-Rod

just for a one time use?? and what should the pressure be at?? ohh and thanks for all the help!

Yes, the mechanical guage that I am referring to would be just a temporary gauge to get a more accurate reading than what the dash gauge would typically be. On an engine that is up to operating temperture, the oil pressure should be 40-60 psi with the engine speed at 2,000 rpms.

-Rod

ok, it has been about 300 miles since i changed the oil and swapped out the oil filter to a purolator filter and added 4 new quarts of new oil and 1 quart of tranny fluid. How long should i keep it in for? It hasn't really helped that much, in the way of the tapping sound. I have also noticed that about 2500 rpm's it starts to tap until it drops down to about 2000rpm. If i floor it i don't hear the nosie, but can't really over the sound of the engine. I have'nt had the money to get the gauge yet. but can i just get a autometer gauge and make it permanent? If i do will i lose the oil pressure sensor, and can it cause problems with the pcm??
oh, when i removed the old oil filter it didn't have any oil in it, the paper inside was dirty. i turned it over and, not much came out. that doesn't seem normal to me.

Ouch, I would agree that the filter not having much oil in it is not a good sign. Sounds like you may truly have low oil pressure. A test guage will cost you less than an Autometer, plus you will be able to use it on other vehicles. You should be able to pick one up for less than $20, and that's a heck of a lot cheaper than an engine!

With your latest update, I don't think it will benefit you much to keep the tranny fluid in the crankcase. Seems like you need to determine your oil pressure and then, if it is low, fix that issue. Probably a plugged screen on the oil pump.

-Rod

but would it be possible to mount a oil gauge permently in the car. but would i have to disconnect the oil pressure sensor or can it have them hooked up at the same time, like with a t-fitting or something else

also should i remove the tranny fluid as soon as possible??? and replace with new oil. what is better the conventional oil or synthetic oil both being 5w30. should i add any additives to the oil???

thanks for the help shorod

Yeah, you could add an auxilliary oil pressure guage. You may be able to find an unused port that you could use for the oil pressure gauge, but expect that you will need to disconnect the OEM gauge. I'm not sure if that would screw up anything as far as the PCM monitoring it.

According to the factory service manual for a 2000 Explorer, the instrument cluster "guage" is really no more than a light. There is an oil pressure switch that causes the gauge to read "normal" with normal oil pressure or "low" with low oil pressure, but the is no chance for anything in between.

It seems the general concensus these days is that synthetic or dino oil is personal preference. Synthentic costs more, but allows you to go longer, typically, between oil changes. Conventional oil is fine if you plan to change your oil and filter on the typical 3 month, 3000 miles interval. I'm not going to address environmental arguments between dino and synthetic.

I don't think that 1 quart of transmission fluid with 4 quarts of engine oil will harm anything if you were to leave it in a bit longer, however, if the noise is not improving and you have indications the oil pressure may be low, I'd suggest you get that checked out ASAP!

-Rod

if i do lower the oil pan and remove the sump tube, does the oil pump have to be primed(with a electric drill)

I'll have to rely on someone else to answer that question. It appears that there is an access plug where the distributor would have been when they still used distributors. You may be able to access the oil pump drive from that plug to prime the pump.

-Rod

ok, i tested the oil pressure. Hot engine at 2,000 RPM's the psi was about 55. At idle it was around 25 psi.

i assume that iam running at good pressure. should i be worried. or is it something that will cause no damage